Today, the NY Times ran an editorial that opened with this line: “It is a dark day for the rule of law.” They are certainly correct and for the first time in US history the US Dept. of Justice has come perilously close to publicly announcing that a class of individuals is above the law. Specifically, employees and managers at the largest banks now appear to enjoy criminal immunity for even horrendous levels of white collar crime. See http://corporatejusticeblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/lawless-capitalism-and-hsbc.html.

As the NY Times states: “Federal and state authorities have chosen not to indict HSBC, the London-based bank, on charges of vast and prolonged money laundering, for fear that criminal prosecution would topple the bank and, in the process, endanger the financial system. They also have not charged any top HSBC banker in the case, though it boggles the mind that a bank could launder money as HSBC did without anyone in a position of authority making culpable decisions.” See http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/opinion/hsbc-too-big-to-indict.html?_r=0. This explanation is senseless. There is no greater threat to the financial sector or to capitalism generally than lawlessness.

At its most basic, the rule of law requires universal applicability. There can be no immunity, and no indulgences handed out by bureaucrats. No person should ever stand above the law.

NYU Press released my new book, Lawless Capitalism, last week. See http://www.amazon.com/Lawless-Capitalism-Subprime-Crisis-Economic/dp/0814776493. The book argues that capitalism needs a more robust economic rule of law to assure a level playing field and rationalized law and regulation. I offer mechanisms for achieving this and demonstrate how the failure of law to curb economic power and channel it productively caused the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Basically, corporate and financial elites subverted law and regulation for profit, at the expense of virtually everyone else. This constituted a type of lawlessness–bending law to their will for profit at the great expense of society.

But, the government’s position today, if the NY Times front page and editorial page, are correct is something more sinister than mere corrupted law. Our governing elites now arrogate the power to place some above the law, no matter how specious the reason. Simply stated, this unprecedented and ill-founded.

The rule of law is dying in America and the people need to know ASAP. I would very much like to appear on your show to discuss this grave development.

If you would like a copy of my book I could FEDEX it tomorrow if you would like.

If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me at 847-420-0612, anytime.

Ha, I’m so glad that HSBC was brought up because I was just thinking about ibogaine and it’s profound effect on addiction.
For those who don’t know, ibogaine is a drug derived from an african plant that is proving time and again to interrupt adictive cravings for cocaine, opiates, alcohol, nicotine. Krokodil too? I don’t know, someone please to find out?
It’s WELL worth a read about for anyone interested in the global problem of addictions.
Banks and drug lords really wouldn’t like this stuff getting attention.

Or replace it with ‘laissez faire’ it’s all the same since the ‘Industrial Revolution’. Lawless Capitalism is a good attempt at rationalization but it fails professor.

“According to Clouscard, the “capitalism of seduction” with its libertarian liberal face arises from the very evolution of the capitalist mode of production. It testifies to a qualitative jump of the accumulated quantities which, at a certain moment, reach a libertarian structure of society.

With its libertarian face, liberalism achieves its own self-realization, until the inevitable catastrophe. Clouscard speaks then about neofascism.

Drawing up the inventory of fixtures of the liberal counter-revolution’s consequences, Clouscard produced a philosophical work to think and propose the basis of a new social contract and to enable a progressivist re-foundation.”

There are very bright minds around, I hope he does not get black-balled going forward. One could feel the tearing apart of the heart and soul of society in his letter. Excellent writing! I hope and pray that smart men, can disable the evil which has taken control.

The badge has everything to do with people’s economic rights. As the NYT’s points out we are living with financial lawlessness, the monetary abyss; however I would like to thank NYT for taking this fundamental issue mainstream. Yes we do have rights to save and to accumulate savings within a secure financial system, therefore the right to secure a minimum future existence through social security and pension funds. We paid for this!!!!!

There are three things that make up a nation state, the state, rule of law, and an ability of the government to enforce the laws in an equitable way. Anyone of these becomes weak, the state is going to fail, as history repeats itself from the Romans to the US. The banks have corrupted the political parties and now own them through the use of lobbyists. The finical sector rules and the working class are their serfs.
The last election cycle brought more Democrats back into Congress, and President Obama. The American public is catching on to the rascals in office as we speak through the negotiations over the fiscal cliff. And the next cycle the know nothing party is going to lose more ground and the progressives will again start to influence the politics of our country, and then things are going to change in corporate and banking behavior as the people demand change through their new elected officials. The Republican party is headed in the direction of the Wig party as they will take a few years to reorganize.
When the parade comes to town the politicians always want to lead it.
Thanks to people like Max and Stacy, Americans are waking up. Peacefully we will change this government. Peace to all and happy New Year!

There’s one BIG and IMPORTANT fact about corporations: “Anybody is replaceable.” Put the CEO in jail and he’ll be replaced by another CEO. So … OK … don’t fine HSBC. I don’t really care. Just put them in JAIL. That’ll make me very happy.

Jeebuz said,
“the time will come to pass when you will have no heroes; confusion and ignorance will reign upon men, most notably celebrities. They will be used as tools to enslave the masses; their ignorance will be broadcast far and wide and man will be enslaved by the spectacle and the simple truth will only be discovered by the few…”

The U.S is a corporation it has the same standing under the U.C.C.( the rules governing comerce ) as any other entity like HSBC for instance. HSBC may have commited a crime under U.S law but since there is no Dejour government in the U.S and hasn’t been for quite some time there is no criminal case that it has to answer. The fine could rather be considered a payoff to the the standover man representing the U.S corp. HSBC is guilty of breaking a contract with the U.S corp and so has attracted a penalty for a default against a contract not for breaking a law. Law and legislation are very different. Law does not apply to persons law applies to humans who have a soul. Legislation applies to persons and a person doesn’t have a soul so they can only be controlled by contract. The reason the managers of these corporations can do these things and not be punished is because there is no Government in the U.S so, wake the fuck up. You see Bernie Madoff is in prison because he stole money..a crime against law. The former Gov of New Jersy isn’t because he failed to fullfil a contract and so the worst he will get is a penalty, if they find he failed to fullfil a contractual obligation. Are any of you getting this? Are you even aware that that is why the president of the U.S corp can be a foreigner and there is nothing you can do about it. There is no elected Government in the U.S. only the business remains and any surpluss humans there are much like vermin a nuisence.
The Goverment corp has no obligation to you humans, in fact, it doesn’t even really no how to address a human because you are chattel. YOU HAVE NO CONTRACT WITH IT.. YOU BELONG TO IT as human stock! Your person also owns a share of it and you own a person.
If it does try to force you to do something ask it…..Where is the contract?…Show me the contract! Tell the corporate rep you are under no obligation to a corporation unless they have a contract. If they had one they must be able to prove it. You see, you have a person you are not a person. You have a share of the U.S corp or rather your person does. If you do not begin to operate under the new pardigm in a competant manner you will rightly be judged as incompetant and therefore unable to fullfil the obligations of a contract. As a matter of fact unless you demand you status of compitance you will automatically be considered incompetant and as such no standing as a person. There are many resources on the web and in libraries about how to understand what has happened. You may want to find out about them. So next time a cop asks you…..What is your name? You will know what the fuck he is talking about coz he ain’t talking american , he’s talking legalese.

This is the same insufferable snobbish New York Times that just had an editorial explicitly, I repeat, explicitly advising that we throw aside the Constitution because it’s such a bother to have to begin spending bills in the House of Representatives.

We can only guess how long it will take the unaccountably smug folks at the Times to ever see the connection between throwing aside the Constitution and not having a functioning system of justice.

Dan, it boggles the mind that, at this point in time, you or anyone could have their blue team pompoms out. I mean, seriously? You think Obama is progressive? He’s authoritarian! I guess he’s going after whistleblowers because he’s so . . progressive, right? And he signed the NDAA and defends it and its indefinite detention powers in court because he’s so . . progressive, right? And he was Goldman Sachs’s choice in 2008 because he’s so . . progressive, right? And people like Kucinich and Sanders have so much animosity toward him because he’s so . . progressive, right?

Okay, no takers on the UCC thang.
Stop moaning about the rule of law and form youself into districts and elect a new government. Elect sheriffs and set up courts for settling disputes. The relationship between a human and a goverment is a trust agreement they act must on your behalf. When they do anything that damages you personally they are in breach of trust and you are free to relieve them of their duties and appoint replacements. You don’t need all the population just a number who share a commonwealth. When they come to you questioning you could say …..what was it that caught your attention? When they began to listen to persons and ignore the humans that elected them, you had been disenfrachised and became entitled to cast them off and appoint replacements. At this point I would shy away from any hint of violence as a corporation they will be entitled to protect their assets and they will do it with violence. They are playing you for fools they want all the powers you delegate to them and not to be responsive to your limitations. As Ron Paul has stated a government has nothing of its own. What government has must be taken from the people. These power are derived from the consent of the people but cannot exeed the rights that are inherant in the people themselves. So.. if you can not steal then the government cannot either. If you cannot aggress against others who are no threat to you then the government cannot either. A government can only protect it cannot aggress or it becomes a tyrant and allowing it to do what the US does in attacking other countries that have not done anything to america is to make all americans murderes. You cannot delgate to the goverment powers that you as an indiviual do not have and, it doesn’t matter how many people vote them into power that doesn’t create new powers because of the numbers. before the throne of you know who the cup is filling and it is full of the blood of innocents who have done nothing to americans.